Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-02-19
PEOPLE WHO STAMMER.
What an ElOcutiOnist Says Of Defecfs
of Speech.

kioATkD ~ ARTIFICIAL APP1iANC19-THu Cu1B 10
BIZ EsrABLIsHRD THROUGH THE MORAL - WELL
As TIE PnYs1cAL NATURE.
"Stammertng. suffering and hesitation" lady
teacher OF elocution who has had under her care
many young ladies and gentlemen suYerfn4 with
such defects Of speech, said TO STAR reporter,
'are due to the improper use OF the vocal organs.
Sometimes these three defects are found together.
Stammering Is the worst difnculty. Sometimes
stammering appears In one form and sometimes
In another; In fact no two cases precisely alike.
The worst prevalent inflrmity-it Is really an In
armity-as the wrong use OF the lip too much lip
you may say. You see face that might other
wise be handsome, dis1gured by habit Of lifting
up the upper lip On one side 30 as to show the
canine tooth. Another 1nflrmity Is lack OF proper
control over the movements OF the tongue No,
not 700 loose tongue. The trouble is that the
tongue Is not loose enough not flexible enough.
rectly that is art1culate English sounds correctly
and speak pure English, and yet the people in this
England.
NOT 10 BE CURED By DRUGS
"Whenever any one announces that he will cure
starnmering or suffering by means OF artificial
appliances, or by some secret remedy, or by drugs
OF any 1nd, said the lady, "you can set him down
than they Will set limb, for really the cure OF
stammerng comes very near being surgical op.
the vocal organs to their proper functions. The
trouble ts with the tongue and the lips and the
closing OF the throat. These organs become de-
out having responsible physician frst examine
the throat. After he pronoGnces the organs nor
the nave sed ed s had Mer Case N
which there was not some WORT ifbr the physician
to 90, for the reason that the wrong use Of the
chits and throat diseases are in many cases due
to the wrong use OF the organs
HOW CASES ARE TREATED.
"1f physician has examined q case and author
lied me to take hold and commence my work will
insure cure, provided the student follows my
directions surely and persistently. Nlne-tenths
will depend upon himself and yet It would be
almost q miracle for one to cure himself without
Jud1cious and Intelligent direction and training
I have never had a case that did not help. since
cure depends so much upon the student himself
and his cooperation with me, have had some
to have taken, and some that Thave worked with
have not been entirely satisfactory to me- but the
majority ma have been entirely satisfactory There
cured. The very best circumstance under which
the student could be treated Is to have him leave
an OF MS past surroundings to get rid OF every
mental picture, for this work is mental on the
under my care, have some in my family now. 1
can no more tell how long 1t Will take to cure him
than surgeon can say how long 1t will take q
bone to knit or teacher Of music how long it Will
The principles can be taught in few lessons.
tiOn -
MORAL As WELL As PHYSICAL
"The cure, !" she went on, 'Ts within the persons
SELL and depends upon his moral as well as physi-
Cal nature. You must lift up his moral nature.
Most OF those who suffer from these defects you
VIII noClce are loose kneed and walk with sham
6nng gait with heads down, all the effect Of this
lnnrmity. The first thing try to do is to lift the
person up. to make him free, for his moral nature
dominates his physical. Ny system is simple,
philosophical and highly moral In its nature No
youth can possibly pass through it without having
ms moral as well as physical self benefited. All
sufferers from these defects are exceedingly senS-
tive. one of the results Of their infirmity. To q
person OF culture and refinement such an inf1rmity
Is more terrible.
THE CAUSE or sTAAMER1Na.
III Is almost impossible to know what causes
bring cases to me II they can tell what caused 1t.
OF supposed causes are given. Sometimes it is the
erect OF imitation. 1t Is frequently known to
exist In families for several generations Defects
OF this character when Inherited are harder to
cure ana when inherited from the mother, the
hardest of all. The most difficult case ever had
was one Of this kind. 1t is thought by many who
nave not Informed themselves that stammerfng is
caused by nervousness. II that were true nearly
all women, and great many men and children
would stammer. On the contrary, however, 1t is
proved clearly that the stammering or defect in
speech causes the nervousness. l am OF the
opinion from observation that the habit is very in
frequently contracted by imitation for the reason
that often one child In family Will stammer and
the others will not. The older brother perhaps
Will have the defect and not one OF the other chill
dren Will Stammer, though they have been
together always. Whatever the cause, when q
cure Is once established there Is no more danger OF
return OF the defect habit than there is OF its
occurrence In person who never stammered at
ALL"